Question: If $4a + 4b = -1$ and $7x + 4y = 9$, what is $-14x - 40a - 8y - 40b$ ?
$= -40a - 40b - 14x - 8y$ $= (-10) \cdot (4a + 4b) + (-2) \cdot (7x + 4y)$ $= (-10) \cdot (-1) + (-2) \cdot (9)$ $= 10 - 18$ $= -8$